


Compassion Without Judgement

by An_FNG



Series: Bangalore Week 2020 [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Kindness, Pre-Apex Games, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27373300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_FNG/pseuds/An_FNG
Summary: Anita is left injured after the rig she was working on collapsed. As a former soldier for the IMC, compassion is in sort supply leaving her trying to care for the wounds herself. That is until someone stops and offers her a helping hand.Bangalore Week Day 2 - Healing
Relationships: A hint of Lifelore
Series: Bangalore Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997770
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Compassion Without Judgement

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered what odd jobs Bangalore did before becoming a legend and how people in general treated her.
> 
> Here is Day 2 of Bangalore Week Healing!

They had been lucky, that’s for sure. The crash had drawn enough attention that the Frontier Corps had arrived within hours to provide relief. Several had died while dozens were left injured when the rig had collapsed. Anita had told her employer multiple times about the various areas that were out of regulation and needed attention, but fixing those always cost money--money her employer hadn’t been willing to spend. A scoff was forced past bloodied lips as she sat slouched in the corner of a tent. Guess her employer would have to fork out a bunch of money to get things back up and running.

Anita pushed against the ground as she tried to shift into a better seated position, slouching was only making her broken ribs hurt more. She hadn’t been right next to the epicenter of the crash, but she had still gotten her fair share of injuries. Thinking back on it, she could have made it out in much better shape had she not helped a few others escape. But then she would have been running away knowing that those behind her were most likely going to die. It hit a little too close to home. Eyes watched as another Frontier Corps volunteer stepped into the tent she was in and continued on to whatever thing they needed to do, acting as if she didn’t even exist. There had been hope for a brief second when the Frontier Corps arrived that maybe things would go differently for Anita than they usually did. However, with one look at her dog tags she was all too literally kicked into a corner and told no one was going to waste their time or resources on her. Now she was simply trying to rest up enough so she could get to her feet and make it to the hover tram. She had some medical supplies at home, a habit built from dangerous employment and doctors almost always refusing to treat her. Anita shifted her bloodsoaked hand for a second to check her side where a sizable piece of shrapnel had embedded itself into her. At least the blood was clotting. Another volunteer walked in, this one was wearing all sorts of packs and even had a D.O.C. following her. Anita averted her eyes, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Footsteps passed in front of her only to pause and return.

“Holy shit!” the woman exclaimed as she crouched down in front of Anita. “How long yuh been sittin’ here?”

Wide dark brown eyes stared up into concerned hazel ones. For a moment Anita was so shocked she didn’t even know what to say.

“How are yuh neck and legs?” Gloved hands began to pat her down, performing a quick assessment.

“I-I can walk…” Anita managed.

Without so much of a warning, the surprisingly strong woman shifted to her side, threw Anita’s arm around her shoulders and stood her up. Pain shot through Anita’s torso and arm making her vision blur for a second as she cried out.

“Yuh be fine, I’ll take care of yuh.”

It took everything she had to stay conscious and not become a complete dead weight as this shorter woman walked her to another, larger tent. Focusing on the two buns the woman’s red hair was tied into helped to ground her.

“Hey Ajay need some- wait what are you doing with that one?” another voice came from outside of Anita’s vision.

“Gonna take care of her obviously, now yuh gonna help me or not?”

The flaps of the tent were pushed to the side revealing a series of curtained beds with the injured laid out on them.

“Help me sanitize that open one over there so I can put her up on it,” Ajay continued as she began to lower Anita to the ground. The woman’s focus shifted to her, a warm smile on her face and a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Just sit tight here with D.O.C., she’ll keep an eye on yuh.”

“Did you not see her tags?” the other said, not making a move to help clean the pop-up medical bed.

Anita watched as Ajay’s calm face changed to confusion. The hand on her shoulder slid to the metal tags hanging around her neck and lifted them up for a closer view. Anita looked away, waiting for the inevitable cursing and rejection.

“The hell is wrong with yuh?!”

The anger in the woman’s voice made Anita jump. However, when she dared to face the woman again, she was surprised to find that the sentence hadn’t been directed to her at all.

“Everyone else agreed we weren’t going to treat her, she’s IMC, they destroyed our homes! Why should we waste resources on one of them?” the other simply shrugged.

Her hold on Anita disappeared as she stood up, leaving Anita to lean on the D.O.C.

“Did yuh sign up to heal people or to judge them?” Ajay snapped.

They took a step back from her, holding their hands up. “I’ve helped all sorts of people, but I’m drawing a line at her. She doesn’t deserve it, none of them do.”

“Then get the fuck outta here! I got work to do.”

The woman pivoted on her heel and began to peel the bloodied fitted sheet off of the bed. “It ain’t our place to judge, just heal,” she muttered as wiped the pad with disinfectant.

No other words came from the other, they simply backed away and left the way they had come. Once a clean fitted sheet had been snapped over the bed’s pad, Ajay crouched down in front of Anita again.

“You-you don’t have to treat me,” Anita got out as she kept her gaze on the ground, “you can just get me to the nearest hover tram and I’ll be able to take care of myself.”

“Yuh look up at me,” came the firm words.

Dark brown eyes hesitantly did so. Fire burned behind those hazel eyes, yet none of it was directed at her.

“I don’t know the first t’ing about yuh. All I know is that yuh need medical attention and I’m gonna give it to yuh.”

Somehow those words seemed to hit Anita just so. She could feel a knot forming in her throat and her eyes starting to burn. Warm hands gently eased her back onto her feet and helped her onto the bed. Metal loops lightly scraped against the curved metal pole as the curtain was drawn.

“Can I cut yuh clothes off?”

“P-please don’t, I don’t have many…” Anita’s breath hitched as hot tears leaked from her eyes. Damn, she felt pathetic.

“Hey…hey…it’s ok…” Ajay’s soft voice accompanied the gentle maneuvers she did to help Anita out of her shirt and pants.

The tears didn’t stop there though, they kept rolling down her cheeks while her body began to shake with each choked sob that escaped her lips. Anita hid her face behind her arm, far too ashamed of everything to stand the thought of looking at the woman treating her. How long had it been since someone had reacted like this upon learning that she was IMC? Even the previous medical personnel that had treated her had made a point of reminding her at every chance they got of how undeserving she was of it. How had this random, kind, woman looked past all of that so easily and cared for her? 

“Shhhh, it’ll be alright, I got yuh,” Ajay gently whispered.

Bit by bit each of her injuries were cared for. Ajay would disinfect the area, remove any shrapnel or shift any bones, then the D.O.C. would heal everything up. By the time Anita felt a warm, wet cloth wiping away the last traces of blood on her body, her breathing had steadied and the tears had all but stopped. The arm covering her face was nudged away so the cloth could wipe away the blood, snot, and tears. Anita pulled in a deep, shaky breath and slowly let it out, relaxing into the warmth. When she reopened her eyes she was greeted by two red buns, a pair of hazel eyes, and a kind smile. Anita let herself get pulled into a seated position. Ajay had her perform a few tests and checked her vitals before declaring that she was good to go.

“Give me a moment to clean yuh clothes up a bit, I’ll be right back,” Ajay said as she held up the soiled clothing.

Anita nodded, still awestruck at how this woman was treating her.

Ajay paused at the split in the curtain. “Keep an eye on her ok? If anyone comes in to bug her, zap em,” she directed to her D.O.C.

The drone nodded as it gave an affirmative beep. As soon as she had left the drone floated over to the split in the curtain, acting as a sort of guard. Anita eyed the D.O.C. It made sense for it to be able to administer shocks so it could be a defibrillator when needed, but she wasn’t inclined to ever find out what those zaps could feel like outside of that function.

A few minutes later Ajay returned with Anita’s clothes. While they were slightly damp in some, they had been washed and quickly sewn up in spots.

“Thank you,” Anita managed to get out as she slid off the bed and dressed herself.

“Yuh welcome.”

Hands fumbled around in her pockets, searching for her card. “Can I pay-”

“I don’t even want to hear the end of that sentence. I don’t do this for money,” Ajay cut her off.

Her surprise must have been obvious enough as a hand was lifted up to gently squeeze her muscular shoulder.

“Yuh take good care of yuh self now. Okay?”

Anita nodded. “Thank you ma’am, for…everything.”

“Call me Ajay, ma’am is a little too formal for me,” she chuckled.

“Right, sorry Ajay,” Anita could feel her face heat up.

“Nothin’ for yuh to be sorry about.” Ajay stepped to the side and opened up the curtain. “Exit is just over there, there’s a tent with some food supplies on the farside of the camp if yuh want to take yuh chances there. I gotta get going though, lots of others be needing help,” she finished as she patted the top of her D.O.C.

“Thank you,” Anita lightly bowed her head as she slipped out.

For a moment she wasn’t sure if she needed to say anything else, but as soon as she had taken a couple of steps Ajay had already busied herself with sanitizing the area and disposing of the trash. Not wanting to be a bother to the woman any longer, Anita made herself scarce. Tags were slipped under her shirt. While the idea of food was tempting, Anita didn’t want to push her luck. Fingers softly rubbed the tender spot on her side. There was a slim chance Anita would have been able to successfully care for that wound and she had no doubt in her mind that Ajay knew that. One final glance was cast back into the tent towards the woman that had been her lifeline before Anita put her head down and left.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I love Lifeline and how she really strives to be someone who helps no matter what.
> 
> For those of you who are familiar with my work "Talk To Me" there's a little reference to it hidden in there, haha.


End file.
